Our Year in Review
Our commitment to our values and culture drove our growth in 2022. With an extremely talented team representing diverse perspectives, we’ve achieved new milestones in design excellence for our region and beyond.
The growth of our team and portfolio was a driving factor in moving into a new, larger space at 1819 Main Street. Our new office and design studio gives us the physical and creative space we need to expand our pursuit of design excellence.
We look forward to seizing new opportunities in 2023 as we continue to let our curiosity, commitment to collaboration, and rigorous process lead us to new heights.
Diversity of 2022 Projects
We owe much gratitude to the incredible clients that have trusted us with their projects. We’re also proud of the diverse industries we’ve been privileged to design for, with 2022 further solidifying our commitment to designing for everything from public parks and fire stations to schools and the arts.
This diversity of industries informs and feeds our ability to bring fresh perspectives to projects, whether it's a coastal fire station project providing insights into a coastal residence project or a civic project offering lessons for a higher education project. We look forward to seeing where our broad approach takes us in 2023.
Adding to Our Talented Team
The past year also saw us add new members to our talented team of designers. Though each of our new team members comes from a different background, they all share the Sweet Sparkman commitment to design excellence. Those team members include:
Rick Kuhn, AIA, NCARB – Director of Design
Rick joined us from the illustrious Perkins + Will Architects office in Boston, where he specialized in education, civic, and public service projects. He brings 35 years of experience and over 50 design awards to Sweet Sparkman.
Ram Venkat, AIA
Before joining our team, Ram served as the Senior Project Manager for Cornell University’s facility department. His experience on the historic Ivy League campus has helped elevate our higher education projects.
Calvin Wren
As our in-house IT problem solver and an administrative assistant, Calvin ensures our firm stays on the cutting edge of technology and software.
Marcus Peduzzi, AIA
An avid mountain biker and Bradenton native, Marcus has diverse design experience that includes notable stints with Wilder Architecture and Modulo Design Studio in Tampa as well as work in and around Austin, Texas.
Juan Ocaña, AIA
Hailing from Florida’s east coast, Juan has a penchant for learning new and emerging design technologies, which he employs to help communicate designs to clients. We’re excited to see his keen curiosity continue to help us push boundaries in design.
Giselle Vera
After growing up in Rome, Italy, Giselle spent 15+ years designing in Caracas, Venezuela for film and television. She also owned and operated two construction and design companies, which boosts our ability to see and manage the “big picture.”
Expanding with New St. Pete Office
Fueled by our insatiable curiosity, we felt it was time to explore new contexts for design that will help nourish our creativity. To that end, we’re excited to announce the procurement of a new office in St. Petersburg, Florida. Like the Sarasota area, our neighboring city across Tampa Bay is in the midst of dynamic growth that has seen its appetite for great design elevate it into a truly world-class city.
In addition, our St. Pete office gives us an opportunity to cultivate new talent as we build on some of the marquee Bay Area projects we’ve been honored to design, including:
In Closing
Thank you so much for joining us on our journey to bring design excellence to our region and beyond. As always, we’re excited to see where we go next and look forward to sharing more with you along the way. If you’d like to reach out with questions, comments, or inquiries for your upcoming projects, please visit our contact page and we’ll respond as soon as possible.
Wishing you well,
The Sweet Sparkman Team
